The strategic missile forces are armed with unique complexes with the highest characteristics, capable of solving particularly important tasks. Their appearance became possible thanks to a long research program and the creation of new projects with certain qualities. The first real step towards modern ballistic missiles made by the Soviet industry was the R-1 product, also known as the 8A11 and Pobeda.
The appearance of the R-1 rocket was preceded by more than interesting events related to the study of trophies and developments of the destroyed enemy. During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet command learned about the appearance of a new weapon in Germany - the A-4 / V-2 ballistic missile. Such weapons were of great interest to the USSR and its allies, and therefore a real hunt began for it. After the victory over Germany, the Coalition countries were able to search military enterprises and find the necessary documents, products, etc.
Search for trophies
In the last weeks of the war, in April 1945, US troops were able to capture the German Mittelwerke plant operating near Nordhausen. It produced various items of particular importance to the German forces, including the A-4 ballistic missile. American specialists carefully studied all the available documentation, as well as the components and assemblies of various equipment remaining at the enterprise. Much of the papers, products, and employees were soon shipped to the United States. In the summer of 1945, Thuringia, together with the Mittelwerke plant, became part of the Soviet occupation zone, and new commissions arrived at the enterprise.
Rocket R-1 on a transport trolley. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation / mil.ru
Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of the most interesting objects and documents had been removed by this time. Nevertheless, the remaining finds could be useful for the Soviet industry. The country's leadership planned to carefully study the German developments and use them in their own rocketry projects. At the same time, it was obvious that the former allies had already researched the trophies and, perhaps, would soon apply the knowledge gained in practice.
In the early months of 1946, several new organizations were formed. So, on the territory of Germany the Nordhausen and Berlin institutes began to work. A new NII-88 was organized in the USSR. It was also decided to repurpose some of the existing enterprises. In fact, it was about creating a completely new industry, which was to deal with promising weapons of strategic importance. It was assumed that the industry will use both its own experience in the field of rocketry and German developments.
Transportation of an experimental rocket R-1 (according to other sources, A-4 Soviet assembly). Photo by RSC Energia / energia.ru
In May 1946, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to begin work on the creation of the first domestic ballistic missile. Within the framework of this project, it was proposed to restore the technical appearance of the German A-4 rocket, as well as to master its production and assembly at German and Soviet enterprises. The newly created NII-88 of the Ministry of Armaments was appointed the lead executor of the project. The work was supervised by S. P. Korolyov. Also, other organizations, both relatively old and recently created, were to participate in the program.
Assembly and testing
Initially, it was only about assembling missiles from ready-made German-made components. At the same time, the specialists of NII-88 and Nordhausen had to restore the design of some components and assemblies, for which there was no documentation. The assembly of the first series of missiles was organized at two sites. Plant No. 3 in Germany assembled A-4 missiles from available components, supplemented with new types of products. Such missiles were designated with the letter "N". The company also prepared assembly kits, which were sent to the experimental plant NII-88 in Podlipki near Moscow. The missiles of the "Soviet" assembly were designated as "T".
In the process of delivering the rocket to the launch pad. Photo by RSC Energia / energia.ru
According to known data, within the framework of the first batch, 29 "N" missiles and 10 "T" products were made. The first missiles of the "H" type were exported from Germany to the Soviet Union in the spring of 1947. Along with weapons, launchers, control equipment, etc. were sent to the USSR. A few months later, missiles with the letters "T" were prepared for testing. The tests and test launches were entrusted to a specially formed Special Purpose Brigade of the Reserve of the Supreme Command (BON RVGK).
On October 16, 1947, the first firing tests of one of the new missiles took place at the Kapustin Yar test site near Stalingrad. The systems worked normally, and the RVGK BON received permission to carry out a full-fledged launch. On October 18, the rocket with the serial number 10T made its first flight along the standard trajectory. The flight range was 206.7 km. Deviation from the calculated point of impact - 30 km to the left. Two days later, a rocket 04T was launched, which flew 231.4 km. However, even in the active phase, it deviated from the given trajectory and fell 180 km from its target.
The next week was a period of difficulties and accidents. Rockets 08T, 11T and 09T did not want to turn on the engines and start. On October 25, after refueling the 09T product, the launcher broke down at the launch site. While draining fuel and oxidizer, liquid oxygen got into the engine. Fortunately, all these accidents were without casualties and destruction.
Product diagram R-1. Figure Modelist-konstruktor.com
Soon, the specialists managed to get all the systems working, and by the end of October, two new missiles flew. On November 2, the A-4 was launched with scientific equipment on board. However, the very next day there was an accident. After the launch, the 30N rocket began to rotate around the longitudinal axis, then caught fire and fell several kilometers from the launch position. However, this did not prevent the testing. Until November 13 inclusive, four more starts took place without emergency situations and accidents. In the last launch, the rocket for the first time used inertial guidance with correction for two radio beams.
In almost a month of the first stage of testing, 11 launches of A-4 / V-2 missiles took place, and almost all of them ended in success or without serious difficulties. In general, the tests were not without problems, but the main difficulties arose before the start, and we managed to cope with them. The success of the first series of test launches made it possible to continue working and create new versions of missile weapons.
The tail section of the rocket under static tests. Photo TSNIIMASH / tsniimash.ru
Project "Victory"
On April 14, 1948, the USSR Council of Ministers decided to start developing a new version of the existing A-4 rocket. The existing design had to be improved to improve the main characteristics. In addition, now the rocket was to be completely produced at the enterprises of the Soviet Union. The finished missile system, after carrying out all the necessary tests, was supposed to enter service with the Soviet army. The domestically developed rocket received the designation R-1, as well as the name "Pobeda". After being put into service, she was assigned the index 8A11.
NII-88 employees faced a number of difficult tasks. Accurate copying of the finished A-4 rocket was not possible for technological reasons, and besides, it did not make sense. The German project provided for the manufacture of parts from steel 86 grades, 56 grades of non-ferrous metals and 87 non-metallic materials. Soviet engineers and technologists were able to find a replacement for the missing alloys. The R-1 project used 32 steel substitute grades, 21 new non-ferrous metals and 48 non-metallic materials. Also, the instrument and tail sections of the rocket have undergone processing and improvement.
Rocket R-1 during preparation for launch. Photo Dogswar.ru
The main design features of the R-1 rocket were transferred to the new project from the existing one. The single-stage architecture with built-in fuel and oxidizer tanks was still used. On the basis of the German product, the RD-100 / 8D51 liquid engine was created with a thrust of more than 25 thousand kgf at the ground. 75% ethanol was used as fuel, liquid oxygen was used as an oxidizer. The tanks held 5 tons of oxidizer and 4 tons of fuel. The turbopump unit of the engine ran on a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate solution. The fuel supply provided the engine operation for 65 s.
The rocket was supposed to use an inertial guidance system capable of hitting a stationary target with previously known coordinates. The first R-1 missiles were equipped with guidance tools borrowed from the A-4. Later, these systems were updated using gyroscopes and domestically produced radio equipment. The series went to products with completely Soviet controls.
P-1 could carry an inseparable high-explosive warhead weighing 1075 kg. Charge weight - 785 kg. For safe operation, the warhead was transported separately from the assembled rocket.
The product is at the starting position. Photo Militaryrussia.ru
On the basis of German developments, an 8U23 launch pad was created with a support device for the rocket and a tiltable cable mast. For transportation and installation on the table, a special lifting conveyor based on a two-axle car trailer was proposed. Also, the means of the missile complex included transport and auxiliary vehicles for various purposes. The preparation of the rocket in the technical position took up to 3-4 hours, the deployment of the complex before firing - up to 4 hours.
New challenges
On September 17, 1948, the first launch of the R-1 rocket took place. During the launch, the control system failed, and the rocket deviated from the calculated trajectory. The product rose to a height of 1.1 km and soon fell 12 km from the launch pad. Soon, several new start-up attempts were made, but in all cases there were problems, including those that led to fires. At this stage, flaws in the design of three missiles at once were identified.
The rocket at the moment the engine is turned on. Photo by RSC Energia / energia.ru
On October 10, the first successful launch of the experimental R-1 at a range of 288 km took place. The rocket deviated from the given direction by 5 km. The next day, the launch was again interrupted by malfunctions, but already on October 13, a new flight took place. Then nine more launches were organized, and six of them were carried out normally. The rest had to be canceled due to the identification of certain problems. The tests of the P-1 of the first series were completed on November 5. By this time, a series of four successful launches in a row had been completed. The maximum range of the rocket reached 284 km, the minimum deviation from the target - 150 m.
In the next year, 1949, static and dynamic tests of missiles in the existing configuration were organized. Taking into account their results, as well as based on the experience of flight design tests, it was decided to change the existing project to improve some of the characteristics.
The updated version of the R-1 / 8A11 rocket was distinguished by an improved guidance system built using only domestic components. Among other things, the radio signal correction system has been replaced. There were also numerous design and equipment modifications, taking into account the experience of previous flight tests.
The moment after the separation. Photo by RSC Energia / energia.ru
In the same year, 1949, two dozen experimental missiles of an updated design were manufactured. Half of them were intended for sighting tests, and with the second, valid starts should be performed. All the necessary work took several months, and the state tests were completed only in the fall. Of the 20 missiles, 17 coped with the assigned tasks and confirmed the calculated characteristics. The missile system based on the R-1 product was recommended for adoption.
Series and service
On November 25, 1950, the R-1 / 8A11 missile system was put into service. At the beginning of the summer of next year, an order was issued to start mass production. Initially, the missiles were to be produced within the framework of cooperation between the experimental production of NII-88 and plant No. 586 (Dnepropetrovsk). In the future, the experimental plant of the scientific organization was supposed to focus on other products and leave the production of R-1. Serial missiles of the first batch hit the test site about a year after the launch of production. By this time, it was decided that the R-1 would enter service with the RVGK special-purpose missile brigades.
The task of the nine new BON RVGK was to deploy missile systems in positions and defeat stationary enemy targets of operational or strategic importance. It was assumed that the brigade will be able to carry out up to 32-36 launches per day. Each of its three divisions could send up to 10-12 missiles to targets every day. In peacetime, special brigades regularly participated in exercises and used their weapons at training ranges.
Equipping a technical position for R-1 missiles. Photo Spasecraftrocket.ru
Serial production of R-1 missiles and components of the missile complex continued until 1955. Soon after, the process of replacing obsolete weapons with new models began. BON RVGK decommissioned R-1 missiles and received more advanced R-2 instead. The last Pobeda missiles, as far as we know, were launched at test ranges in 1957. Since the beginning of the tests and until the end of operation, 79 missile launches were carried out. Also, almost 300 test engine runs took place. By the beginning of the sixties, the army had lost the last R-1 missiles and mastered new missile systems.
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The domestic program for the creation of promising long-range ballistic missiles started with the study and assembly of captured foreign samples. During inspections and tests, it was determined that such a weapon is of interest and can be copied. However, it was not a question of direct copying, and as a result, missiles of a new design were brought to mass production, which had serious advantages over the basic models of German design.
Comparison of the R-1 (top) and R-2 (bottom) missiles. Figure Dogswar.ru
The R-1 / 8A11 ballistic missile complex became the first model of its class to be put into service in our country. Subsequently, new modifications of the rocket were created with various differences and advantages. Then the development of completely new missiles began, only partially based on the existing one. However, this development of technology continued for a limited time. By the early sixties, designers had to look for completely new ideas and solutions.
The R-1 Pobeda missile was adopted by the Soviet army in 1950 and remained in service until 1957-58. By modern standards, this weapon did not have high performance. The "long-range missile" of the 1950s in its main characteristics corresponded to the current operational-tactical systems, however, even in this form, it made a significant contribution to ensuring the country's security. In addition, it launched all the main directions of development of domestic missile weapons "surface-to-ground", from operational-tactical to intercontinental systems.
